The Data Acquisition and Power Control Unit will find wide applicability in corrosion, hull coating, meta-material, and anomalous heat experiments, recording and calibrating data in calorimetry experiments, electrode and sensor low-current exercising experiments, electroplating and analysis; and energy source or storage cycling, analysis and evaluation for land, sea and air platforms, regarding refueling, and maintenance requirements. Additionally, the invention can be applied to training facilities for electrochemistry, thermodynamics, and electronics, by providing a controlled voltage to an object under examination, based on a desired control mode of the user (constant or programmed voltage, current, or power).
Specifically, positive results have been confirmed in the emerging field of anomalous heat effects. Benefits from exemplary embodiments implemented in this research can be two-fold. First, the simplicity in the power supply circuitry can allow easier and more definitive analysis of the resulting data. Secondly, the small, integrated instrumentation size and low cost of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can enable much needed combinatorial testing. Combinatorial testing can enable rapid understanding or optimization of phenomena in the subject areas of electrochemistry, thermodynamics, and electronics.
In the prior art, conventional instruments, such as the Biologic VSP® potentiostat/galvanostat, is a model in the series of devices that have been designed for electrochemistry power controlling and data acquisition. The VSP has been refined to excel at electrochemistry, i.e., to be able to provide extremely accurate resolution in power input with up to one amp (or more with add on units). However, the VSP's precision results in a complex instrument that does not allow easy analysis of new phenomena that occur within materials (e.g., meta-materials, anomalous heat). The intricate internals of the VSP prevent easily anticipating why a material responds as it does. That is, when there is electronic feedback between the power supply and the experiment, it is difficult to separate out the power supply interaction from the true material property. Additionally, the VSP provides precise input power control and tracking but less precise auxiliary analog data ports (only two 16-bit inputs allowed). These inputs are not preprogrammed to read temperature values or thermoelectric module readings. This limits the expandability for further data integration. The VSP also wields a large size and price, which limits the use of such an instrument in small spaces or integrated into mobile platforms of small size and having weight restrictions (e.g., combinatorial testing) for portability (for use in platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs).
Other devices, such as the Omega OMB-DAQ-2408 (multifunction data acquisition system), can measure, record data, and transmit an analog voltage signal of low current (5 mA). However, they are not able to drive higher current outputs or voltage without hardware and software development by the user. The Omega unit is not integrated with a program ready to perform temperature or thermoelectric module recordings and conversions and display data.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram 100 of a prior art approach to a data acquisition and power supply system 100. Specifically, there are typically two categories of designs available today that include: (1) preprogrammed data acquisition (DAQ) 105 with no power output capability; and (2) advanced supply power units 110 for electrochemistry that are large (cubic feet), costly (several thousand dollars), complex, and not integrated with sensors. The second category, specifically such as a Bio-Logic electrochemical instrument, can cause constrained and complicated interpretation of experimental results. The cost and size of the power supply units 110 also can limit users' ability to perform combinatorial testing.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a combined power supply module and data acquisition module that can overcome the limitations of the prior art designs.